Challenges of linking scientific knowledge to river basin management policy: AquaTerra as a case study

The EU Project AquaTerra generates knowledge about the river–soil–sediment–groundwater system and delivers scientific information of value for river basin management. In this article, the use and ignorance of scientific knowledge in decision making is explored by a theoretical review. We elaborate on the ‘two-communities theory’, which explains the problems of the policy–science interface by relating and comparing the different cultures, contexts, and languages of researchers and policy makers. Within AquaTerra, the EUPOL subproject examines the policy–science interface with the aim of achieving a good connection between the scientific output of the project and EU policies. We have found two major barriers, namely language and resources, as well as two types of relevant relationships: those between different research communities and those between researchers and policy makers.